This invention deals with a mattress structure designed to provide a comfortable sleeping surface for infants and young children.
The ability of an infant or young child to sleep comfortably and for relatively long periods is of importance to its own health and well being as well as to that of its care givers. The mattress on which the infant sleeps in a bed or crib may contribute to the infants comfort and thus, to some extent, promote sleep. Most conventional infant mattresses, are generally either innerspring or foam block structures contained within an outer shell or ticking that is generally made of a liquid resistant material such as a vinyl fabric. Such conventional mattress structures, which employ relatively stiff inner springs and high density foams, although resilient when slept on by adults and large children provide an essentially flat surface that is relatively hard and unyielding under the weight of a recumbent infant or small child.
There is a need for a mattress structure that is more suitable to the comfort of the infant or small child. Such a mattress should provide a degree of resilience and bounce, yet yield to some degree under the weight of a recumbent infant or small child to provide a sensation of softness. At the same time the mattress should not be so soft and yielding as to create a suffocation hazard. In addition, it is desirable that the mattress surface provide a degree of air flow at the points of contact with the recumbent infant or child in order to allow evaporation of perspiration. Such a mattress should also be economical to make and easily manufactured.